Photo courtesy of Keiichi IwasakiShare
Ever dream about packing up and leaving it all behind? Ten years ago that’s exactly what Keiichi Iwasaki, then 28 years old, did. But he didn’t take a plane or a boat. For the past decade he’s been pedaling his way around the world on a bicycle. It all started in April 2001 when Iwasaki left his home in Maebashi, Japan with just 160 yen, around $2, in his pocket. He intended to bike through Japan, but enjoyed the trip so much that he caught a ferry to South Korea and hasn’t looked back since.
Two years ago we posted about Keiichi’s unusual adventures, which he funds by performing magic tricks on the street. When we last spoke to him, he was in Switzerland, preparing to climb Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. Keiichi not only achieved this goal, but he managed to make it even more impressive than his climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
Summiting Mont Blanc (Photo Courtesy of Keiichi Iwasaki)
“When I climbed Mount Everest, I climbed with 17 members and many Sherpa (mountain guides), so they made the route, fixed the line for us, and made it easier to climb. But on Mount Blanc, I climbed completely alone,” Keiichi told me from his current location on the Adriatic coast of Italy. This meant that he had no one to tie his ropes for him, leaving him vulnerable to slip over the cliff. Keiichi also had no guides so he had to find the trail left by former climbers, which wasn’t always easy. Luckily, he made it to the summit; a moment that Keiichi said made him realize that nature is both beautiful and dangerous.
After this achievement, Keiichi biked to Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Monaco, Malta and Italy using the same bicycle he bought in Spain two years ago (his fifth bike, after two broke and two were stolen).
Keiichi, who has not been back to his native Japan since 2002, says he sometimes misses his family and friends back home, although Skype and email help to stay connected.His parents have visited him five times and a number of friends have met him during his travels. Despite occasional bouts of homesickness, Keiichi plans to keep traveling since he still has the “emotion and curiosity to see the world.”
- Performing magic tricks in Italy (Photo courtesy of Keiichi Iwasaki)
Keiichi is in no hurry to leave Italy – he’s enjoying the historical architecture and, of course, the “pizza, wine and gelato” – but he hopes to go to Africa next. And in the next five years, he plans to bike his way through North and South America. After that? Perhaps a quick trip back to Japan to eat some “real Japanese food,” and then he hopes to sail around the world by boat.
In the meantime, he’s happy to bike around the world, still funding his trip entirely on magic tricks.
Former Traveler editorial assistant, Sarah Langdon, is a fifth-year visual communications major at the University of South Carolina and is spending her last semester studying in Buenos Aires, a city that truly never sleeps. Follow her on Twitter @sarahmlangdon.
Bryant Avey
Bryant Avey is the CEO and a Principal Consultant at InterNuntius, Inc. He tweets regularly on various topics that interest him. Follow him on Twitter. Connect with him on LinkedIn, Buzz, Posterous, or Facebook.
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Update: Man Bikes Around the World with $2 in Pocket – Intelligent Travel
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#Radiation In Our Food | Fox News #Japan
Radiation in Our Food
Published June 30, 2011
| FoxNews.com
Though the horrendous tsunami that hit Japan on March 12, 2011 seems like old news in the midst of today’s headlines, the crippled nuclear power plants at Fukishima Daichi continue to spew radiation into water, air and soil, with no end in sight.
Even as thousands of Japanese workers struggle to contain the ongoing nuclear disaster, low levels of radiation from those power plants have been detected in foods in the United States. Milk, fruits and vegetables show trace amounts of radioactive isotopes from the Fukushima Daichi power plants, and the media appears to be paying scant attention, if any attention at all. It is as if the problem only involves Japan, not the vast Pacific Ocean, into which highly radioactive water has poured by the dozens of tons, and not into air currents and rainwater that carry radiation to U.S. soil and to the rest of the world. And while both Switzerland and Germany have come out against any further nuclear development, the U.S. the nuclear power industry continues as usual, with aging and crumbling power plants receiving extended operating licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as though it can’t happen here. But it is happening here, on your dinner plate.
Taking a page from the BP pubic relations handbook, TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) and the Japanese government have downplayed the extent of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daichi, in which three of six nuclear reactors are in ongoing meltdown. According to Japanese nuclear engineer Naoto Sekimura, nuclear fuel rod meltdown at the damaged plants began only hours after the tsunami, and the situation has not been contained. There is still an ongoing threat of a total “China Syndrome” meltdown, and Japanese officials now say that the three damaged plants may possibly continue to emit uncontrolled radiation for another year.
According to Greenpeace, the ocean around large areas of Japan has been contaminated by toxic radioactive agents including cesium, iodine, plutonium and strontium. These radioactive agents are accumulating in sea life. Fish, shellfish and sea vegetables are absorbing this radiation, while airborne radioactive particles have contaminated land-based crops in Japan, including spinach and tea grown 200 miles south of the damaged nuclear plants. Meanwhile, on U.S. soil, radiation began to show up in samples of milk tested in California, just one month after the plants were damaged.
Radiation tests conducted since the nuclear disaster in Japan have detected radioactive iodine and cesium in milk and vegetables produced in California. According to tests conducted by scientists at the UC Berkeley Department of Nuclear Engineering, milk from grass fed cows in Sonoma County was contaminated with cesium 137 and cesium 134. Milk sold in Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Vermont and Washington has also tested positive for radiation since the accident.
Additionally, drinking water tested in some U.S. municipalities also shows radioactive contamination. Is the fallout from Fukushima Daichi falling on us? Yes, it is.
Thanks to the jet stream air currents that flow across the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. is receiving a steady flow of radiation from Fukushima Daichi. And while many scientists say that the levels of contamination in food pose no significant threat to health, scientists are unable to establish any actual safe limit for radiation in food. Detection of radioactive iodine 131, which degrades rapidly, in California milk samples shows that the fallout from Japan is reaching the U.S. quickly.
Though California is somewhat on the ball regarding testing for radiation in foods, other states appear to be asleep at the switch with this issue. Yet broad-leaf vegetables including spinach and kale are accumulating radiation from rain and dust. Some spinach, arugula and wild-harvested mushrooms have tested positive for cesium 134 and 137 according to UCB, as have strawberries.
According to the U.S.-based group of medical doctors Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), no amount of man-made radiation in water and food is safe. “There is no safe level of radionuclide exposure, whether from food, water or other sources, period,” said Jeff Patterson, DO, immediate past president of PSR, in late March. “Exposure to radionuclides, such as iodine 131 and cesium 137, increases the incidence of cancer. For this reason, every effort must be taken to minimize the radionuclide content in food and water.”
Doctor Alan Lockwood MD echoes this. “Consuming food containing radionuclides is particularly dangerous. If an individual ingests or inhales a radioactive particle, it continues to irradiate the body as long as it remains radioactive and stays in the body.”
“Children are much more susceptible to the effects of radiation and stand a much greater chance of developing cancer than adults,” states Andrew Kanter, MD, president of PSR’s board. “So it is particularly dangerous when they consume radioactive food or water.”
Should you panic about this? No. That will do no good. But you can call, write and email your congressperson, your senator, and any other elected officials in your district, ask them to push for testing of foods and water in your area, and tell them to take the threat of global nuclear fallout seriously. For while none of the 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S. are melting down at present, we have had our own nuclear accidents. Remember Three Mile Island? Radiation has made its way to the American dinner table. This is a time to speak out, and to put pressure on policy makers. Clearly, it’s far better to be politically active now than radioactive tomorrow.
Special thanks to Steve Hoffman of Compass Marketing in Boulder Colorado, who extensively researched this issue and provided the source materials for this story.
Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide. His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com
An older article from Fox News published back in June, but still relevant.
Online Banking Safety Guide for the 47 Percent of Consumers Who Are Underprotected #Security
McAfee Releases Online Banking Safety Guide for the 47 Percent of Consumers Who Are Underprotected
New Guide Cites Top Industry Research, Identifies Three Virtual Banking "Personality Types," and Offers Tips for Safer Online Transacting
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug 03, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Acting on recent data that reveals many consumers still aren't protected by even basic antivirus software when banking online, McAfee today released an educational guide for banking safely on computers, tablets or mobile devices. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, in 2010 47 percent of household financial managers did not have antivirus software installed.
Combining McAfee intelligence with the latest U.S. banking data from many top sources revealed that most consumers fall into one of three categories of online banking behavior, and that age tends to play a strong role in safety and security habits online. Most people's level of confidence with banking online is associated with their overall comfort level online, including participating in such activities as shopping, searching, and social networking.
McAfee identified three main personality types associated with online and mobile banking, and offers customized tips for each group in its safe online banking guide:
1. 'Competent, But A Little Careless' Ages 18-24: This group is the most comfortable with technology but they tend to be overconfident, neglecting to put even basic security practices into place. As a result, this group leaves themselves vulnerable to banking malware. Sixty-eight percent do not even have basic antivirus software installed on their computers, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.
Tips for 'Competent, But A Little Careless' bankers:
-- Start with a clean PC. This means making sure that your device is clean of threats by using a free diagnostic tool such as McAfee(R) Security Scan Plus, which scans and detects malware, Trojans, and potentially unwanted programs in running processes.
-- Buy comprehensive security software that protects you from viruses, spyware, adware, and identity theft. Always choose a reputable brand such as McAfee Total Protection(TM) software. When it comes to security software, free is not better. A September 2010 USA TODAY survey of 16 anti-virus companies shows that no-cost anti-virus programs generally lack important features such as a firewall, website health checks, and automatic updates.
-- Avoid distracted banking: Be careful not to respond to fake bank emails (or phishing attacks) because you are multitasking. Remember, banking fraud often happens because consumers give out their own user names and passwords to fake banking sites.
2. 'Confident But Casual' Ages 25-45: This group uses the Internet for both work and personal reasons and are the most frequent online banking users. According to Javelin, they tend to be more likely to have antivirus software installed, with 42 percent of 25-34 year-olds and 47 percent of 35-44 year-olds using it. However, according to an August 2010 NCSA/APWG Survey, this group tends to be casual or over-confident about security, with 52 percent of 25-44 year-olds feeling as if they are already doing enough to stay safe online.
Tips for 'Confident But Casual' bankers:
-- If you don't have online security protection already, you need a comprehensive security suite that protects you and your family's banking integrity. Also, remember to run a security scan before signing up for any online banking services to ensure you're starting with a computer free of malware.
-- Never respond to unsolicited email from a bank that requests personal information, such as your user name, password, or address. Even if the email looks legitimate, NEVER reply, click on links or open attachments included in the email.
-- Review your financial statements and transactions as soon as they arrive, so if there are any anomalies or unauthorized transactions you can clear them up right away.
3. 'Conservative And Cautious' Over 45 Years Old: This group is not as familiar with technology as younger generations, and a smaller percentage use online banking. Javelin found that they tend to be more cautious when going online, and as a result, they are better protected than the younger group, with approximately 55 percent having security software installed. This group should continue to be cautious about offline banking scams in general; research shows that some older Americans are vulnerable to automated voice messages that request financial account numbers.
Tips for 'Conservative And Cautious' bankers:
-- Be sure to run a security scan on your PC before you sign up for any online banking services to ensure you're starting with a computer free of malware.
-- Beware of copycat sites that look very similar to major banking institutions, and always be sure that you've typed in the correct web address when visiting your bank online. Be familiar with your bank's logo and site design.
-- Create strong passphrases. Don't be afraid to go beyond the standard eight characters and a couple of numbers - the longer, the better, and change your passphrases often.
Mobile Banking
According to Forrester Researchin its January 2011 U.S. Mobile Banking Forecast, mobile banking has experienced rapid growth in the U.S. over the past three years, more than doubling from five percent of online adults in 2007 to 12 percent by the second quarter of 2010. Furthermore, Forrester predicts that one in five--or 50 million--U.S. adults will be using mobile banking by 2015. It is important to remember that while banking via mobile devices is very convenient, it is still important to exercise caution.
Tips for Banking Safely Online -- Using Mobile Devices
-- Connect to your bank's mobile site or app securely by making sure that your wireless network is secure. Never send sensitive information over an unsecured wireless network, such as in a hotel or cafe
-- Download your bank's mobile application, so you can be sure you are visiting the real bank every time, not a copycat site.
-- Install anti-theft technology, and back up your data.
-- Configure your device to auto-lock after a period of time.
-- Consider using McAfee(R) Mobile Security (TM) on your device, which allows you to backup and restore personal data, wipe personal data from the device in the event of a loss, and remotely lock your device and delete all personal information in the case of theft, as well as locate the device via GPS.
-- Be sure to keep all of your apps and device software up to date
Background
As both threats and technology evolve, there are more ways than ever that financial information can be compromised, from offline methods such as dumpster diving and stolen laptops to online methods including email scams, mobile hacking, fake banking sites known as phishing scams, and data breaches like the one Sony recently experienced with PlayStation.
Despite the dangers, consumers continue to embrace the anytime, anywhere convenience of online banking, but they aren't necessarily being safe. Javelin research reveals that 68 percent of 18 -- 24 year olds do not have basic antivirus software on their computers. Additionally, Javelin found that 47 percent of 45 to 54-years-olds lack security protection, and 44 percent of 55 to 64-year-olds lack protection.
With that in mind, McAfee is redoubling its efforts to offer consumers the very best practical information on online banking safety, whether they are banking from their computer or mobile devices.
"Most instances of banking fraud are not due to the bank's technology being compromised," said Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee Labs. "It's more likely that people are unwittingly giving out their personal banking information to criminals via phishing scams and copycat sites, or their computers being infected with malware."
Online Banking Safety Guide, Graphics and Video
For complete details on each of the online banking personality types and accompanying graphics, please visit the McAfee blog: https://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/guide-to-online-banking-safety
For an animated tutorial on phishing, one of the greatest banking-related dangers for consumers according to McAfee researchers, please visit the following link. Find out what phishing is, how to spot fake emails, and how to avoid it all together: http://us.mcafee.com/en-us/local/html/identity_theft/hooked_by_phishing_scam.asp
Other Resources
-- FraudWatch International
-- McAfee Security Advice Center -- www.mcafee.com/advice
-- McAfee Facebook Page -- www.facebook.com/mcafee
About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation /quotes/zigman/20392/quotes/nls/intc INTC +0.08% , is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com
SOURCE: McAfee
McAfee Kim Eichorn, (408) 346-3606 kim_eichorn@mcafee.com or H3O Communications Jennifer Smith, (415) 618-8802 jennifer@h3ocommunications.comCopyright Business Wire 2011
